Prediction
by Ghost of Harrenhal
Summary: What I would like to see/think might happen on 7x10 loosely based on what we saw in the promo.
1. Warning

Donna is working when he sneaks in.

"Louis and I have been going over a plan of attack" Mike says, leaning on her doorframe in a way she thinks is supposed to be casual but he is too nervous to pull off.

"That's comforting," Donna notes ironically, "Come in."

Mike smiles sympathetically and pushes himself away from the glass, walking towards her desk. He doesn't sit, but buries his hands in his pockets and bites the inside of his cheek anxiously, pondering if coming here had been a good idea at all.

"I think you and Harvey need to talk" he says, after a while "About what may come up during your deposition."

"What do you mean?"

"We knew Louis would need to get personal and…"He drifts, trying to find the kindest words "And now we know things we didn't when we had the first mock trial."

Donna frowns "What kind of thing?" she asks, unsure.

"Like that fact that you and Harvey were involved once."

She's caught off guard by that, "Mike, we were never-"

"You slept together" he deadpans, suddenly more concerned about the outcome of this trial than he is about her sensibilities right this moment, "And if you're asked point blank about it that's how it will sound."

"Mike, that was years after Clifford Danner's case."

"He won't ask when and you know it, and even just establishing that it's happened will weaken your testimony."

"Malik doesn't know we-"

" _Are you sure_?" Mike interrupts, and looks at her with too much focus. Donna shifts uncomfortably in her chair "Are you sure you and Harvey never acted in way that might reasonably lead to that conclusion while you were working at the DA's office?"

Donna remembers too much flirting, too many drinks, laughter, light touches and late nights where the two of them were always the last to leave.

"He might not-"

"He will," Mike says, growing impossibly more serious "Malik has it out for Harvey and if he can go after him on a bullshit charge, we have to assume he will do whatever he can, use whatever he has, to prove Harvey's guilty of something he didn't do." He looks at her and there is an apology there, but they don't really have the time to spare her in this, so she looks away "Donna… I know you and Harvey have been through a lot; more than I know about, but it will be so much worse for both of you if Louis, or Malik or anyone, goes after your history together and you're not in the same page about what your answers will be."

He waits for her reaction, a second, two, but she is too stunned or too tired of being put on the spot by this to give him anything.

"I'm sorry," Mike says after too much silence passes between them "I don't want to see either of you get hurt."

Donna nods, she understands the reason in what he's suggesting but she is already hurt, somehow more so than in the last decade of this mess. She turns her chair slightly towards the window to avoid Mike's stare and takes a deeper breath trying to find the right thing to say, then figures nothing about this is right.

"I guess we were naïve to think we'd never have to talk about it." She speaks with a certain finality, "Is that all?"

He nods but doesn't move to leave, instead shifts his weight nervously from one leg to the other summoning the guts to ask what comes next.

"Donna-" He starts hesitantly "Why didn't you?"

She frowns, "Didn't what?"

"Try."

Donna sighs and forces herself to look back at him, "Harvey and I don't wanna be together." She says simply.

There is a beat of silence and then he has the audacity to scoff. Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"I'm sorry, I find that hard to believe," he says, gaining confidence "There is no way it's never crossed your mind in twelve years, or his"

"I'm not saying it hasn't, Mike. I'm saying it wouldn't have worked"

He leans back, rolls his eyes "Bullshit, you're both too scared."

Donna stands then, smoothing down the creases on her dress and leans against her desk to confront him at his height "I think you're out of line."

"Maybe I am, but I'm tired of watching you two be miserable because you can't touch the subject with a ten foot pole. It will hurt this trial and it will hurt _you_ for another decade if neither of you do something about it."

"I think it's time you leave," she says coldly, staring him down with authority.

Mike falters, looking away to gather himself and nods, "I'm going," he agrees, but again doesn't move to do so and looks at her more pointedly than he had so far "Tell Harvey how you feel" he adds at last, with earnest.

"Leave" she reiterates.

This time he does.


	2. Impact

"You can't ask her that."

Louis' head snaps up, Mike follows suit. They'd been working on Donna's deposition and hating every second of it as they sat in opposite sides of the room coming up with lines of interrogation.

"Harvey, you're not supposed to be here."

"I don't care, I agreed to a mock trial not to letting Donna get humiliated in front of the entire firm" He steps into Louis' office with his fists balled at his sides.

"Harvey-" Mike starts, standing up as Louis runs a hand over his face, frustrated "Malik doesn't give a shit about Donna, he might do worse in court for all we know."

"Malik isn't supposed to protect her, you are!"

"Don't even suggest we don't care about Donna" Louis pipes up, also standing.

"We _have_ to do this. _This_ is how we protect Donna - we prepare her for the worse" Mike states vehemently.

"Bullshit, there is no way Malik knows about..." Harvey drifts, unable to finish the sentence after so many years of practice avoiding the subject.

Mike rolls his eyes, taking a step in his direction "Harvey, you didn't even remember the guy three days ago, you can't know what he does or doesn't know about." He sees Harvey get ready to argue and takes another step closer "You and Donna were the center of the DA's office, and if anyone-" he stops midsentence, hesitating, and looks away then back at Harvey again.

"If anyone what?" Harvey challenges

Mike covers his mouth with a hand, then runs his fingers through his hair, bidding time until courage finds him again.

"If anyone there at the time didn't think you were sleeping together they weren't paying any attention." He finishes quietly, hiding his hands in his pockets.

He thinks Harvey might punch him then, but before they hit breaking point Louis materializes between the two.

"We care about Donna just as much as you" He says, facing Harvey very seriously, "I didn't even want to do this in the first place but _you_ insisted," Louis adds, starting to grow red "And so did she. Donna knows what's waiting for her, and she's willing to go through with it to keep _your_ ass out of jail" He gets more exasperated at every word "We hate to even suggest, to even _think_ about hurting her, but we have to when it's the only way you walk clean, because so help me God, if something happens to you because _she_ couldn't handle Malik's interrogation, she's never going to forgive herself. So before you make me feel even shittier for doing this and we ruin her best chance at saving you - _leave."_

Harvey closes in on Louis but before things escalate Mike grabs his arm and forces him out of the room.

"I got this" he tells Louis as they leave his office, then lets Harvey go just outside the doors before speaking again "I'm sorry" he starts, "For how I said what I said."

"I don't care about what you said," Harvey talks like he is still ready for a fight, "I care about you and Louis and how you're in there planning to hurt Donna in front of people she's supposed to lead like it's some exercise in self-sacrifice"

Mike sighs "You need to focus," He says tiredly.

Harvey does a double take "What's that supposed to mean?" he asks defensively.

"It means that when someone is special to you it can mess up your judgement."

Harvey scowls "How am I unreasonable for being the only one trying to protect Donna?"

"Are you though, Harvey?" Mike asks, running out of patience "Trying to protect her? Because it looks less like you're concerned and more like you're afraid."

"I don't know what you're trying to get at but-"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about" Mike interrupts "You're afraid we're going to ask her point blank if she loves you again and you don't know the answer anymore."

"I swear I will hit you and not think twice about it" Harvey threatens, balling his fists so hard his knuckles turn white.

"Go ahead, if it helps you feel better about being too much of a coward to tell Donna how you feel."

The punch comes fast and hard against Mike's jaw sending pain shattering into his skull. He nearly falls back, taking his hand to the point of impact to asses the damage; when he moves it away there is a drop of blood on his index finger.

"When I want your advice I'll ask for it" Harvey says bitterly, flexing his fleshly bruised hand before leaving without a second glance back.


	3. Drive

He leaves with heavy steps, hits the elevator button with too much force and doesn't have the patience to wait for it, disappearing into the stairs. Harvey jogs down the twenty something floors all the way to the lobby and lands dripping with sweat, his suits jacket hanging on his arm and tie loosened halfway down his breastbone.

He rushes to the revolving doors and basks in the cold afternoon air once he's out in the street, taking a moment to catch his breath and garnishing a few sideway glances from passersby. A million things rush through his mind - Louis, Mike, truths, a jaw giving under knuckles, the mock trial and _Donna, Donna, Donna._

Harvey tilts his head back and presses his index and thumb to his eyes until he sees white flashes, trying to quiet his own thoughts but she is relentless, seeping into everything. He wonders if he'd be better off now if he'd never let her move to his desk, into his life, but it's such an outrageous notion, one he despises so inherently, the thought fades as soon as it comes. He cannot regret her.

He hails a cab and mumbles his address to the driver. The man does a double take at the contradiction between Armani and sweat stains but loses interest about as soon as it'd sparked, shrugging and turning on the meter before pulling into traffic.

Harvey spends the drive cooling down with his forehead against the window, trying, and failing, not to think about what Mike had said, or how he's sorry to have lost his temper on him for speaking the truth. His phone weights in his pocket, he wants to call, maybe apologize, probably make a joke and let the implied truce in that speak for itself, but when he pulls it out it's the speed dial set to number one he ends up ringing.

"Harvey?" She is the problem yet the sound of his name on her lips untangles every knot in his chest.

"Donna," he answers, sounding exhausted.

"Is something wrong?" She asks. He can almost see her frown.

"No, I just…" Harvey has nothing specific to say, he'd just needed to hear her voice "I had to talk to you."

"About?" She's distracted, he realizes, and wishes he could see what's pulling her focus. When she worked for him it was so easy to watch her absentmindedly bite her lip, twirl a strand of red hair around a finger, chew the end of her pen, all unnoticed from the safety of his own desk. Now he can barely catch a glimpse - he misses it, her.

"I can call later if you're busy" he deflects.

"No, it's fine, I'm cooking."

He snorts a laugh "Cooking?"

His tone catches her attention "You got something to say about that?" She challenges, and again he can just see her, resting against the balcony with a hand on her waist, a half smile on her lips, ready for a fun, meaningless argument.

"No, I just wasn't sure you could tell a pot from a pan" he jabs.

"They haven't invented a skill I can't master yet" Donna brags.

"Master? Really?"

"You talk shit a lot for someone who can't fry an egg" she bites back.

He huffs out a breath, indignant "I can fry an egg."

Donna flat out laughs at that "No you can't."

"I could, if I tried."

"You would scorch your wall up to the ceiling."

"That's not even possible."

"You'd find a way."

How this argument turned on him Harvey has no clue, but he feels much lighter. Before he can move it along with some smart-ass comment about couture aprons though, she cuts in.

"What did you call about anyway?"

There is a short rush of surprise when he falls back into reality. A series of excuses run through his mind, most of them ludicrous, some halfway plausible, even a few reasonable ones, but in the end… In the end, he settles for the truth.

"Mike and I had a fight," he says, surprising himself.

He hears her sigh through the line "What happened?" She asks softly.

"He said some things I don't want to repeat, and I-" he hesitates, then figures it's too late to back out "I hit him. Right hook square on the jaw."

Donna snorts a laugh "Serves him right"

He'd been ready for some disappointment and more questions, not that "What?"

"We also had and argument" she explains.

"About what?"

"You show me yours I'll show you mine."

Not much of a way around that, he thinks "Fair enough."

They stay comfortably silent for a while after that. He can hear her fussing around what he guesses are ingredients and wonders what she's making, is about to ask when Donna speaks again.

"He's just trying to help" it's quiet, and he's not sure if she's really talking to him or if it's mostly to herself

"I know," Harvey agrees and sighs tiredly "But he should learn to mind his own business"

"He cares, it's a quality," She ponders, "You should apologize."

"And you?"

"I didn't punch him," Donna argues "But I wish I'd slapped him"

Harvey smiles "I'll think about it" he says as the car pulls up at his building, "I'll let you get back to… cooking" he adds with disbelief.

"Don't test me," she threatens.

"Thanks, Donna" he says earnestly.

"You're welcome. Apologize."

He snorts a laugh "Bye, Donna."

"Bye, Harvey."

They hang up, half-heartedly on his part, there's never been anything better to soothe his worries than her and pressing 'End call' is always more of an effort when she's on the other end of the line.

Harvey pays the driver, taking note of his bruised knuckles when he hands over a twenty and tells the man to keep the change. He feels the dull ache of them as he closes his fingers around the handle on the car door and pushes himself out into the street.

As he walks towards home, he thinks about how many apologies he owes.

* * *

 _Bit of a filler to keep ya'll interested while I figure out how to go about Harvey and Paula's argument in the promo. Not my best, dialogue-wise, but like, who cares_


End file.
